The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 231

Liora’s POV

“And… There.” I shoved the last tent stake into the dirt with the heel of my boot and took a step back to admire my handiwork. My tent was tucked neatly amongst a small copse of fir trees, the fronds acting as a natural barrier against the wind and elements.

“Oh my god, can’t you just do it right?”

“I’m trying, Bianca. But this is a two-person job!”

“Everyone else put their tents up by themselves.”

I leaned around the nearby tree, peering at Bianca and Jessica, who had set up a little ways away from me. They’d been going at it for at least twenty minutes now and hadn’t made any progress. Their tent was still sitting in a heap on the ground, and their poles kept popping out of place, nearly smacking Jessica in the face at one point.

I watched for a moment as Bianca barked orders at Jessica, and my heart sank a little. After everything Jessica had done, I didn’t feel bad for her. But ever since the mating ceremony, I couldn’t help but notice the way she’d fallen from Bianca’s grace. The way that, whenever Bianca needed a servant to boss around, it was usually Jessica.

Except for the night freckles died, of course. Jessica had gotten lucky then, if one could even consider it ‘luck’.

Dusting my hands off on my pants, I approached when I saw Jessica continuing to struggle with the tent.

“Do you need help?” I asked.

Jessica whipped her head up to look at me, but before she could respond, Bianca stepped in her way. “We’re good,” she shot back. “Don’t you have something better to do? Maybe they need help with dinner. Since you seem to be an expert on that.”

I poked my tongue into the inside of my cheek and turned. “Whatever,” I muttered, making my way over to the main area of camp. A fire had been started, and someone was making broth for tonight’s stew using dried bouillon powder and some root vegetables that had been foraged.

“Man, one of those rabbits would be perfect for the stew,” I heard the cook muttering as he stirred the pot.

“I saw a big, fat one earlier,” another Gamma replied. He looked up then, spotting me. “Liora! Are you free?”

I nodded, walking over. “What’s this about fat rabbits?”

The cook grinned. “There’s a big rabbit population around here. If you’ve got time, maybe you could run out and shoot a few?”

I pushed my jaw forward. Fucking liar. He thought he was being cheeky, like I wouldn’t notice that he was trying to force me and Callum to be alone together. I’d already told him that Callum and I were not happening.

So why did the thought of being alone with him made my heart flutter like a fucking hummingbird?

“I’ll come, too.” Bianca, having heard the exchange, came over. But Marcus held up his hand and sneered at her.

“Actually, Princess,” he said, “I have a much more important job for you here.”

Bianca didn’t look thrilled that Callum and I were going off together on our own, but the idea of an important task befitting a princess was enough to convince her to stay behind.

Neither of us spoke while Callum and I made our way into the forest close to camp. I scanned the ground for rabbit tracks, eventually spotting a tuft of fluffy white fur stuck to the base of a tree. About a quarter mile away from camp, we located the rabbits’ warren hole, and crouched low in the underbrush, waiting for one to come out.

It didn’t take long for a little brown head to poke out of the hole. A brown rabbit, its fur white in some spots now that winter was on its way, squeezed out and hopped a foot away from the hole. I could see its little nose twitch from where I was crouching. I notched an arrow and lifted the bow.